Gov. DeSantis announces new office of election security has made 20 arrests for voter fraud

FORT LAUDERDALE – With members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office standing behind him on the county’s courthouse, Gov. Ron DeSantis touted election reforms enacted throughout his administration.

Included within the reforms was the creation of the Election Crimes and Security Office.

On Thursday, he introduced that they’d charged 20 folks with voter fraud. 

Despite saying they have been principally in Miami-Dade and Broward, that was not the case when 17 of the 20 names have been launched. The listing from FDLE was as follows: 

Hillsborough County

• Romona Brown, 55, of Tampa
• Douglas Oliver, 59, of Tampa
• Tony Patterson, 43, of Tampa
• Nathan Hart, 49, of Gibsonton
• Hubert Jack, 65, of Tampa
• Byron Leonard Smith, 65

Orange County

• Peter Washington, 59, of Orlando
• Michelle Stribling, 52, of Eatonville
• Jerry Foster, 72, of Orlando

Palm Beach County

• Leo Grant Jr, 55, of South Bay
• Luis Villaran, 63, of Delray Beach
• Robert Simpson, 64, of Pahokee

Broward County

• Terry Hubbard, 63, of Pompano Beach
• Nathaniel Singleton, 71, of Fort Lauderdale
• Eugene Suggs, 65, of Miami

Miami-Dade County

• Robert Lee Wood, 56, of Opa Locka
• Ronald Lee Miller, 57, of Miami

The governor mentioned they voted whereas being convicted of homicide or sexual assault which is a violation of Florida regulation.

“They do not have the right to vote, they have been disenfranchised under Florida law. Amendment 4 that passed specifically included people who have been convicted of sexual assault and homicide from being able to have an automatic restoration of their voting rights. They did not go through any process, they did not get their rights restored, and yet they went ahead and voted anyway,” mentioned DeSantis.

He mentioned they’re being charged with election fraud, a third-degree felony.

They may face a $5,000 high-quality and as much as 5 years in jail.

DeSantis mentioned he is directed the Department of State to speak to county Supervisors of Elections with directions on information they have to protect till extra opinions and investigations are full.

“In 2020, Florida ran an efficient, transparent election that avoided the major problems we saw in other states. At the same time, the election was not perfect, which is why we continue our efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections,” mentioned the governor. “Our new election crimes office has sprung into action to hold individuals accountable for voter fraud. Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting. If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“As elected leaders, it is incumbent on us to ensure free and fair elections and instill confidence in the voting process,” mentioned Attorney General Ashley Moody.